Atomic layer deposited zirconium aluminum oxide

ABSTRACT

A dielectric layer having atomic layer deposited zirconium aluminum oxide and a method of fabricating such a dielectric layer may produce a reliable dielectric layer having an equivalent oxide thickness thinner than attainable using SiO 2 . The zirconium aluminum oxide may be formed in an atomic layer deposition process that includes pulsing a zirconium-containing precursor onto a substrate and pulsing an aluminum-containing precursor.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/403,734, filed Mar. 31, 2003, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

This application is related to the following commonly assigned U.S. patent applications, which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety:

U.S. application Ser. No. 10/137,058, entitled: “Atomic Layer Deposition and Conversion,” filed 2 May 2002,

U.S. application Ser. No. 10/137,168, entitled: “Methods, Systems, and Apparatus for Atomic-Layer Deposition of Aluminum Oxides in Integrated Circuits,” filed 2 May 2002, and

U.S. application Ser. No. 09/797,324, entitled: “Methods, Systems, and Apparatus for Uniform Chemical-Vapor Depositions,” filed 1 Mar. 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,852,167.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates generally to semiconductor devices and device fabrication and, more particularly, to dielectric layers and their method of fabrication.

BACKGROUND

The semiconductor device industry has a market driven need to improve speed performance, improve its low static (off-state) power requirements, and adapt to a wide range of power supply and output voltage requirements for its silicon based microelectronic products. In particular, there is continuous pressure to reduce the size of devices such as transistors. The ultimate goal is to fabricate increasingly smaller and more reliable integrated circuits (ICs) for use in products such as processor chips, mobile telephones, and memory devices such as dynamic random access memories (DRAMs). The smaller devices are frequently powered by batteries. There is also pressure to reduce the size of the batteries, and to extend the time between battery charges. This forces the industry to not only design smaller transistors, but to design them to operate reliably with lower power supplies.

Currently, the semiconductor industry relies on the ability to reduce or scale the dimensions of its basic devices, primarily, the silicon based metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET). A common configuration of such a transistor is shown in FIG. 1. While the following discussion uses FIG. 1 to illustrate a transistor from the prior art, one skilled in the art will recognize that the present subject matter could be incorporated into the transistor shown in FIG. 1 to form a transistor according to the present subject matter. A transistor 100 is fabricated in a substrate 110 that is typically silicon, but could be fabricated from other semiconductor materials as well. Transistor 100 has a source region 120 and a drain region 130. A body region 132 is located between source region 120 and drain region 130, where body region 132 defines a channel of the transistor with a channel length 134. A gate dielectric 140 is located on body region 132 with a gate 150 located over gate dielectric 140. Although gate dielectric 140 may be formed from materials other than oxides, gate dielectric 140 is typically an oxide, and is commonly referred to as a gate oxide. Gate 150 may be fabricated from polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon), or other conducting materials such as metal may be used.

In fabricating transistors to be smaller in size and reliably operate on lower power supplies, one design criteria is gate dielectric 140. The mainstay for forming the gate dielectric has been silicon dioxide, SiO₂. A thermally grown amorphous SiO₂ layer provides an electrically and thermodynamically stable material, where the interface of the SiO₂ layer with underlying Si provides a high quality interface as well as superior electrical isolation properties. In typical processing, use of SiO₂ on Si has provided defect charge densities on the order of 10¹⁰/cm², midgap interface state densities of approximately 10¹⁰/cm² eV, and breakdown voltages in the range of 15 MV/cm. With such qualities, there would be no apparent need to use a material other than SiO₂, but increased scaling and other requirements for gate dielectrics create the need to find other dielectric materials to be used for a gate dielectric.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a transistor having a gate dielectric containing atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) according to various embodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 2A shows an atomic layer deposition system for processing a dielectric layer containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y), according to various embodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 2B shows a gas-distribution fixture of an atomic layer deposition system for processing a dielectric layer containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y).

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of elements for an embodiment of a method to process a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer by atomic layer deposition.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of elements for an embodiment of a method to process a dielectric layer containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y) by atomic layer deposition.

FIG. 5A shows an embodiment of a configuration of a transistor having an atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer.

FIG. 5B shows an embodiment of a configuration of a capacitor having an atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a personal computer incorporating devices having an atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer.

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic view of an embodiment of a central processing unit incorporating devices having an atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer.

FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic view of an embodiment of a DRAM memory device having an atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, specific aspects and embodiments in which the present subject matter may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present subject matter. Other embodiments may be utilized and structural, logical, and electrical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present subject matter. The various embodiments disclosed herein are not necessarily mutually exclusive, as some disclosed embodiments can be combined with one or more other disclosed embodiments to form new embodiments.

The terms wafer and substrate used in the following description include any structure having an exposed surface with which to form the integrated circuit (IC) structure of the present subject matter. The term substrate is understood to include semiconductor wafers. The term substrate is also used to refer to semiconductor structures during processing, and may include other layers that have been fabricated thereupon. Both wafer and substrate include doped and undoped semiconductors, epitaxial semiconductor layers supported by a base semiconductor or insulator, as well as other semiconductor structures well known to one skilled in the art. The term conductor is understood to include semiconductors, and the term insulator or dielectric is defined to include any material that is less electrically conductive than the materials referred to as conductors.

The term “horizontal” as used in this application is defined as a plane parallel to the conventional plane or surface of a wafer or substrate, regardless of the orientation of the wafer or substrate. The term “vertical” refers to a direction perpendicular to the horizontal as defined above. Prepositions, such as “on”, “side” (as in “sidewall”), “higher”, “lower”, “over” and “under” are defined with respect to the conventional plane or surface being on the top surface of the wafer or substrate, regardless of the orientation of the wafer or substrate. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present subject matter is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

A gate dielectric 140 of FIG. 1, when operating in a transistor, has both a physical gate dielectric thickness and an equivalent oxide thickness (t_(eq)). The equivalent oxide thickness quantifies the electrical properties, such as capacitance, of a gate dielectric 140 in terms of a representative physical thickness. The equivalent oxide thickness, t_(eq), is defined as the thickness of a theoretical SiO₂ layer that would have the same capacitance density as a given dielectric, ignoring leakage current and reliability considerations.

A SiO₂ layer of thickness, t, deposited on a Si surface as a gate dielectric will have a t_(eq) larger than its thickness, t. This t_(eq) results from the capacitance in the surface channel on which the SiO₂ is deposited due to the formation of a depletion/inversion region. This depletion/inversion region may result in t_(eq) being from 3 to 6 Angstroms (Å) larger than the SiO₂ thickness, t. Thus, with the semiconductor industry driving to scale the gate dielectric equivalent oxide thickness to under 10 Å, the physical thickness for a SiO₂ layer used for a gate dielectric would be need to be approximately 4 to 7 Å.

Additional characteristics for a SiO₂ layer depend on the gate electrode used in conjunction with the SiO₂ gate dielectric. Using a conventional polysilicon gate results in an additional increase in t_(eq) for the SiO₂ layer. This additional thickness could be eliminated by using a metal gate electrode, though metal gates are not currently used in typical complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (CMOS) technology. Thus, future devices would be designed towards a physical SiO₂ gate dielectric layer of about 5 Å or less. Such a small thickness for a SiO₂ oxide layer creates additional problems.

Silicon dioxide is used as a gate dielectric, in part, due to its electrical isolation properties in a SiO₂—Si based structure. This electrical isolation is due to the relatively large bandgap of SiO₂ (8.9 eV) making it a good insulator from electrical conduction. Signification reductions in its bandgap would eliminate it as a material for a gate dielectric. As the thickness of a SiO₂ layer decreases, the number of atomic layers, or monolayers of the SiO₂ decreases. At a certain thickness, the number of monolayers will be sufficiently small that the SiO₂ layer will not have a complete arrangement of atoms as in a larger or bulk layer. As a result of incomplete formation relative to a bulk structure, a thin SiO₂ layer of only one or two monolayers will not form a full bandgap. The lack of a full bandgap in a SiO₂ gate dielectric could cause an effective short between an underlying Si channel and an overlying polysilicon gate. This undesirable property sets a limit on the physical thickness to which a SiO₂ layer may be scaled. The minimum thickness due to this monolayer effect is thought to be about 7-8 Å. Therefore, for future devices to have a t_(eq) less than about 10 Å, dielectrics other than SiO₂ need to be considered for use as a gate dielectric.

For a typical dielectric layer used as a gate dielectric, the capacitance is determined as one for a parallel plate capacitance: C=κε₀A/t, where κ is the dielectric constant, ε₀ is the permittivity of free space, A is the area of the capacitor, and t is the thickness of the dielectric. The thickness, t, of a material is related to its t_(eq) for a given capacitance, with SiO₂ having a dielectric constant κ_(ox)=3.9, as t=(κ/κ_(ox))t _(eq)=(κ/3.9)t _(eq). Thus, materials with a dielectric constant greater than that of SiO₂, 3.9, will have a physical thickness that may be considerably larger than a desired t_(eq), while providing the desired equivalent oxide thickness. For example, an alternate dielectric material with a dielectric constant of 10 could have a thickness of about 25.6 Å to provide a t_(eq) of 10 Å, not including any depletion/inversion layer effects. Thus, a reduced t_(eq) for transistors may be realized by using dielectric materials with higher dielectric constants than SiO₂. The thinner t_(eq) for lower transistor operating voltages and smaller transistor dimensions may be realized by a significant number of materials, but additional fabricating characteristics makes determining a suitable replacement for SiO₂ difficult.

The current view for the microelectronics industry is still for Si based devices. Thus, the gate dielectric employed will grow on a silicon substrate or silicon layer, which places significant restraints on the substitute dielectric material. During the formation of the dielectric on the silicon layer, there exists the possibility that a small layer of SiO₂ could be formed in addition to the desired dielectric. The result would effectively be a dielectric layer consisting of two sublayers in parallel with each other and the silicon layer on which the dielectric is formed. In such a case, the resulting capacitance would be that of two dielectrics in series. As a result, the t_(eq) of the dielectric layer would be the sum of the SiO₂ thickness and a multiplicative factor of the thickness of the dielectric being formed, written as t _(eq) =t _(SiO) ₂ +(κ_(ox)/κ)t. Thus, if a SiO₂ layer is formed in the process, the t_(eq) is again limited by a SiO₂ layer. Thus, use of a ultra-thin silicon oxide interface layer should be limited to significantly less than ten angstroms. In the event that a barrier layer is formed between the silicon layer and the desired dielectric in which the barrier layer prevents the formation of a SiO₂ layer, the t_(eq) would be limited by the layer with the lowest dielectric constant. However, whether a single dielectric layer with a high dielectric constant or a barrier layer with a higher dielectric constant than SiO₂ is employed, the layer interfacing with the silicon layer must provide a high quality interface to maintain a high channel carrier mobility.

One of the advantages for using SiO₂ as a gate dielectric has been that the formation of the SiO₂ layer results in an amorphous gate dielectric. Having an amorphous structure for a gate dielectric is advantageous because grain boundaries in polycrystalline gate dielectrics provide high leakage paths. Additionally, grain size and orientation changes throughout a polycrystalline gate dielectric may cause variations in the layer's dielectric constant. Many materials having a high dielectric constant relative to SiO₂ also have a disadvantage of a crystalline form, at least in a bulk configuration. Thus, the best candidates for replacing SiO₂ as a gate dielectric are those with high dielectric constant, a relatively large bandgap, and are able to be fabricated as a thin layer with an amorphous form.

Materials such as Ta₂O₃, TiO₂, Al₂O₃, ZrO₂, ZrSi_(x)O_(y), HfSi_(x)O_(y), and barium strontium titanate (BST) have been proposed as replacements for SiO₂ as gate dielectric materials. However, application of such materials may depend on characteristics of a dielectric material useful for application as a gate dielectric that include a sharp interface with a silicon substrate, which favours a low density of interface states, a large bandgap that is comparable to that of silicon oxide, a large energy barrier from the conduction band to the Fermi level of the gate electrode used, and physicochemical and structural stability in subsequent device processing procedures.

Many materials with high dielectric constant have low bandgaps relative to the bandgap of silicon oxide (8.9 eV). The materials ZrO₂ and Al₂O₃ have dielectric constants of 25 and 9, respectively, and bandgaps of 7.8 eV and 8.7 eV, respectively. See G. D. Wilk et al., Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 89: no. 10, pp. 5243-5275 (2001). Thus, a dielectric layer containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y) provides a high dielectric constant and large bandgap characteristics. However, other considerations for selecting the material and method for forming a dielectric layer for use in electronic devices and systems concern the suitability of the material for applications requiring that the dielectric layer have an ultra-thin equivalent oxide thickness, form conformally on a substrate, and/or be engineered to specific thickness and elemental concentrations.

Another consideration concerns the roughness of the dielectric layer on a substrate. Surface roughness of the dielectric layer has a significant effect on the electrical properties of the gate oxide, and the resulting operating characteristics of the transistor. Leakage current through a physical 1.0 nm gate oxide has been found to be increased by a factor of 10 for every 0.1 increase in the root-mean-square (RMS) roughness.

During a conventional sputtering deposition process stage, particles of the material to be deposited bombard the surface at a high energy. When a particle hits the surface, some particles adhere, and other particles cause damage. High-energy impacts remove body region particles creating pits. The surface of such a deposited layer may have a rough contour due to the rough interface at the body region.

In an embodiment, a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer having a substantially smooth surface relative to other processing techniques is formed using atomic layer deposition (ALD). Further, forming a dielectric layer using atomic layer deposition provides for controlling transitions between material layers. Thus, atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layers may have an engineered transition with a substrate surface that has an interfacial SiO₂ layer or an interfacial silicate layer substantially limited in thickness to provide an effective dielectric constant for the dielectric layer that is significantly greater than that of a silicon oxide layer. Further, the ALD deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layers provide conformal coverage on the surfaces on which they are deposited.

An embodiment for a method for forming a dielectric layer containing zirconium aluminum oxide, ZrAl_(x)O_(y), by atomic layer deposition includes pulsing a precursor containing zirconium onto a substrate, pulsing a first precursor containing oxygen, pulsing a precursor containing aluminum, and pulsing a second precursor containing oxygen. In an embodiment, a layer of ZrAl_(x)O_(y) is formed on a substrate by atomic layer deposition with an interfacial layer of silicon oxide or a silicate limited to significantly less than ten angstroms.

A dielectric layer containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y) has a larger dielectric constant than silicon dioxide, a relatively small leakage current, and good stability with respect to a silicon based substrate. Such dielectric layers provide a significantly thinner equivalent oxide thickness compared with a silicon oxide layer having the same physical thickness. Alternately, such dielectric layers provide a significantly thicker physical thickness than a silicon oxide layer having the same equivalent oxide thickness. Embodiments include structures for capacitors, transistors, memory devices, and electronic systems with dielectric layers containing atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y), and methods for forming such structures.

ALD, also known as atomic layer epitaxy (ALE), was developed in the early 1970's as a modification of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and is also called “alternatively pulsed-CVD.” In ALD, gaseous precursors are introduced one at a time to the substrate surface mounted within a reaction chamber (or reactor). This introduction of the gaseous precursors takes the form of pulses of each gaseous precursor. Between the pulses, the reaction chamber is purged with a gas, which in many cases is an inert gas, and/or evacuated.

In a chemisorption-saturated ALD (CS-ALD) process, during the first pulsing phase, reaction with the substrate occurs with the precursor saturatively chemisorbed at the substrate surface. Subsequent pulsing with a purging gas removes precursor excess from the reaction chamber.

The second pulsing phase introduces another precursor on the substrate where the growth reaction of the desired layer takes place. Subsequent to the layer growth reaction, reaction by-products and precursor excess are purged from the reaction chamber. With favourable precursor chemistry where the precursors adsorb and react with each other on the substrate aggressively, one ALD cycle may be performed in less than one second in properly designed flow type reaction chambers. Typically, precursor pulse times range from about 0.5 sec to about 2 to 3 seconds.

In ALD, the saturation of all the reaction and purging phases makes the growth self-limiting. This self-limiting growth results in large area uniformity and conformality, which has important applications for such cases as planar substrates, deep trenches, and in the processing of porous silicon and high surface area silica and alumina powders. Thus, ALD provides for controlling layer thickness in a straightforward manner by controlling the number of growth cycles.

ALD was originally developed to manufacture luminescent and dielectric layers needed in electroluminescent displays. Significant efforts have been made to apply ALD to the growth of doped zinc sulfide and alkaline earth metal sulfide layers. Additionally, ALD has been studied for the growth of different epitaxial II-V and II-VI layers, nonepitaxial crystalline or amorphous oxide and nitride layers and multilayer structures of these. There also has been considerable interest towards the ALD growth of silicon and germanium layers, but due to the difficult precursor chemistry, this has not been very successful.

The precursors used in an ALD process may be gaseous, liquid or solid. However, liquid or solid precursors must be volatile. The vapor pressure must be high enough for effective mass transportation. Also, solid and some liquid precursors need to be heated inside the reaction chamber and introduced through heated tubes to the substrates. The necessary vapor pressure must be reached at a temperature below the substrate temperature to avoid the condensation of the precursors on the substrate. Due to the self-limiting growth mechanisms of ALD, relatively low vapor pressure solid precursors may be used though evaporation rates may somewhat vary during the process because of changes in their surface area.

There are several other characteristics for precursors used in ALD. The precursors must be thermally stable at the substrate temperature because their decomposition would destroy the surface control and accordingly the advantages of the ALD method that relies on the reaction of the precursor at the substrate surface. A slight decomposition, if slow compared to the ALD growth, may be tolerated.

The precursors have to chemisorb on or react with the surface, though the interaction between the precursor and the surface as well as the mechanism for the adsorption is different for different precursors. The molecules at the substrate surface must react aggressively with the second precursor to form the desired solid layer. Additionally, precursors should not react with the layer to cause etching, and precursors should not dissolve in the layer. Using highly reactive precursors in ALD contrasts with the selection of precursors for conventional CVD.

The by-products in the reaction must be gaseous in order to allow their easy removal from the reaction chamber. Further, the by-products should not react or adsorb on the surface.

In a reaction sequence ALD (RS-ALD) process, the self-limiting process sequence involves sequential surface chemical reactions. RS-ALD relies on chemistry between a reactive surface and a reactive molecular precursor. In an RS-ALD process, molecular precursors are pulsed into the ALD reaction chamber separately. The metal precursor reaction at the substrate is typically followed by an inert gas pulse to remove excess precursor and by-products from the reaction chamber prior to pulsing the next precursor of the fabrication sequence.

By RS-ALD, layers can be layered in equal metered sequences that are all identical in chemical kinetics, deposition per cycle, composition, and thickness. RS-ALD sequences generally deposit less than a full layer per cycle. Typically, a deposition or growth rate of about 0.25 to about 2.00 Å per RS-ALD cycle may be realized.

The characteristics of RS-ALD include continuity at an interface, conformality over a substrate, use of low temperature and mildly oxidizing processes, freedom from first wafer effects and chamber dependence, growth thickness dependent solely on the number of cycles performed, and ability to engineer multilayer laminate layers with resolution of one to two monolayers. RS-ALD allows for deposition control on the order on monolayers and the ability to deposit monolayers of amorphous layers.

Herein, a sequence refers to the ALD material formation based on an ALD reaction of a precursor or a precursor with its reactant precursor. For example, forming a metal layer from a precursor containing the metal forms an embodiment of a metal sequence. Additionally, forming a layer of metal oxide from a precursor containing the metal and from an oxygen containing precursor as its reactant precursor forms an embodiment of a metal/oxygen sequence, which may be referred to as the metal oxide sequence. A cycle of a metal sequence includes pulsing a precursor containing the metal and pulsing a purging gas for the precursor. Further, a cycle of a metal oxide sequence includes pulsing a precursor containing the metal, pulsing a purging gas for the precursor, pulsing a reactant precursor, and pulsing a purging gas for the reactant precursor. Additionally, a cycle for a compound metal oxide includes pulsing a precursor containing a first metal, pulsing a purging gas for this precursor, pulsing a reactant precursor for the first metal precursor, pulsing a purging gas for the reactant precursor, pulsing a precursor containing a second metal, pulsing a purging gas for this precursor, pulsing a reactant precursor for the second metal precursor, and pulsing a purging gas for this reactant precursor. The order of the metal precursors can depend on the compatibility of the metals with diffusion of atoms through the metal to the underlying substrate. Typically, the order employed limits the amount of unwanted atomic diffusion to the substrate surface.

In an embodiment, a layer of ZrAl_(x)O_(y) is formed on a substrate mounted in a reaction chamber by ALD using precursor gases individually pulsed into the reaction chamber. Alternately, solid or liquid precursors may be used in an appropriately designed reaction chamber.

FIG. 2A shows an embodiment of an atomic layer deposition system 200 for processing a dielectric layer containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y). The elements depicted are those elements necessary for discussion of embodiments of the present subject matter such that those skilled in the art may practice various embodiments of the present subject matter without undue experimentation. A further discussion of the ALD reaction chamber can be found in co-pending, commonly assigned U.S. patent application: entitled “Methods, Systems, and Apparatus for Uniform Chemical-Vapor Depositions,” Ser. No. 09/797,324, filed 1 Mar. 2001, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,852,167, incorporated herein by reference.

In FIG. 2A, a substrate 210 is located inside a reaction chamber 220 of ALD system 200. Also located within reaction chamber 220 is a heating element 230, which is thermally coupled to substrate 210 to control the substrate temperature. A gas-distribution fixture 240 introduces precursor gases to the substrate 210. Each precursor gas originates from individual gas sources 251-254 whose flow is controlled by mass-flow controllers 256-259, respectively. Each gas source, 251-254, provides a precursor gas either by storing the precursor as a gas or by providing a location and apparatus for evaporating a solid or liquid material to form the selected precursor gas. Furthermore, additional gas sources may be included, one for each metal precursor employed and one for each reactant precursor associated with each metal precursor.

Also included in the ALD system are purging gas sources 261, 262, each of which is coupled to mass-flow controllers 266, 267, respectively. Furthermore, additional purging gas sources may be constructed in ALD system 200, one purging gas source for each precursor gas. For a process that uses the same purging gas for multiple precursor gases less purging gas sources are used in ALD system 200.

Gas sources 251-254 and purging gas sources 261-262 are coupled by their associated mass-flow controllers to a common gas line or conduit 270, which is coupled to the gas-distribution fixture 240 inside reaction chamber 220. Gas conduit 270 is also coupled to vacuum pump, or exhaust pump, 281 by mass-flow controller 286 to remove excess precursor gases, purging gases, and by-product gases at the end of a purging sequence from gas conduit 270.

Vacuum pump, or exhaust pump, 282 is coupled by mass-flow controller 287 to remove excess precursor gases, purging gases, and by-product gases at the end of a purging sequence from reaction chamber 220. For convenience, control displays, mounting apparatus, temperature sensing devices, substrate maneuvering apparatus, and necessary electrical connections as are known to those skilled in the art are not shown in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2B shows an embodiment of a gas-distribution fixture 240 of atomic layer deposition system 200 for processing a dielectric layer containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y). Gas-distribution fixture 240 includes a gas-distribution member 242, and a gas inlet 244. Gas inlet 244 couples gas-distribution member 242 to gas conduit 270 of FIG. 2A. Gas-distribution member 242 includes gas-distribution holes, or orifices, 246 and gas-distribution channels 248. In the illustrated embodiment, holes 246 are substantially circular with a common diameter in the range of 15-20 microns, gas-distribution channels 248 have a common width in the range of 20-45 microns. The surface 249 of gas distribution member 242 having gas-distribution holes 246 is substantially planar and parallel to substrate 210 of FIG. 2A. However, other embodiments use other surface forms as well as shapes and sizes of holes and channels. The distribution and size of holes may also affect deposition thickness and thus might be used to assist thickness control. Holes 246 are coupled through gas-distribution channels 248 to gas inlet 244. Though ALD system 200 is well suited for practicing the present subject matter, other ALD systems commercially available may be used.

Those of ordinary skill in the art of semiconductor fabrication understand the use, construction and fundamental operation of reaction chambers for deposition of material layers. Embodiments of the present subject matter may be practiced on a variety of such reaction chambers without undue experimentation. Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art will comprehend the necessary detection, measurement, and control techniques in the art of semiconductor fabrication upon reading the disclosure.

The elements of ALD system 200 may be controlled by a computer. To focus on the use of ALD system 200 in the various embodiments of the present subject matter, the computer is not shown. Those skilled in the art can appreciate that the individual elements such as pressure control, temperature control, and gas flow within ALD system 200 may be under computer control. In an embodiment, a computer executes instructions stored in a computer readable medium to accurately control the integrated functioning of the elements of ALD system 200 to form a dielectric layer containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y).

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of elements for an embodiment of a method to process a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer by atomic layer deposition. This embodiment to form ZrAl_(x)O_(y) by atomic layer deposition includes pulsing a precursor containing zirconium onto a substrate, at block 310, pulsing a first precursor containing oxygen, at block 320, pulsing a precursor containing aluminum, at block 330, and pulsing a second precursor containing oxygen, at block 340. In an embodiment, pulsing a precursor containing zirconium onto a substrate, at block 310 and pulsing a first precursor containing oxygen, at block 320, is performed with a single precursor containing zirconium and oxygen. In an embodiment, pulsing a precursor containing aluminum, at block 330, and pulsing a second precursor containing oxygen, at block 340, is performed with a single precursor containing aluminum and oxygen. In an embodiment, an interface layer formed between the substrate and the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layer is limited to less than about 1 nm (10 angstroms). In an embodiment, the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layer contains Zr₄AlO₉. In an embodiment, an interface layer formed between the substrate and the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layer includes silicon oxide or a silicate limited to less than about 1 nm (10 angstroms).

Performing each atomic layer deposition includes pulsing one or more precursors into a reaction chamber for a predetermined period. The predetermined period is individually controlled for each precursor pulsed into the reaction chamber. Further the substrate is maintained at a selected temperature for each pulsing of a precursor, where the selected temperature is set independently for pulsing each precursor. Additionally, each precursor may be pulsed into the reaction under separate environmental conditions. Appropriate temperatures and pressures are maintained dependent on the nature of the precursor, whether the precursor is a single precursor or a mixture of precursors.

Using atomic layer deposition, the pulsing of the precursor gases is separated by purging the reaction chamber with a purging gas following each pulsing of a precursor. In an embodiment, nitrogen gas is used as the purging gas following the pulsing of each precursor used in a cycle to form a layer of ZrAl_(x)O_(y). Additionally, the reaction chamber may also be purged by evacuating the reaction chamber.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of elements for an embodiment of a method to process a dielectric layer containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y) by atomic layer deposition. This embodiment may be implemented with the atomic layer deposition system 200 of FIGS. 2A, B.

At block 405, substrate 210 is prepared. The substrate used for forming a transistor is typically a silicon or silicon containing material. In other embodiments, germanium, gallium arsenide, silicon-on-sapphire substrates, or other suitable substrates may be used. This preparation process may include cleaning of substrate 210 and forming layers and regions of the substrate, such as drains and sources of a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor, prior to forming a gate dielectric. In an embodiment, the substrate is cleaned to provide an initial substrate depleted of its native oxide. In an embodiment, the initial substrate is cleaned to provide a hydrogen-terminated surface. In an embodiment, a silicon substrate undergoes a final hydrofluoric acid, HF, rinse prior to ALD processing to provide the silicon substrate with a hydrogen-terminated surface without a native silicon oxide layer.

In an embodiment, substrate 210 is prepared as a chemical oxide-terminated silicon surface prior to forming the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer by atomic layer deposition. This preparation allows for forming an interface layer of about five angstroms to provide a structure that aids in reducing the leakage current through the dielectric layer.

The sequencing of the formation of the regions of the transistor being processed follows typical sequencing that is generally performed in the fabrication of a MOS transistor as is well known to those skilled in the art. Included in the processing is the masking of substrate regions to be protected during the gate dielectric formation, as is typically performed in MOS fabrication. In this embodiment, the unmasked region may include a body region of a transistor; however one skilled in the art will recognize that other semiconductor device structures may utilize this process. Additionally, substrate 210 in its ready for processing form is conveyed into a position in reaction chamber 220 for ALD processing.

At block 410, a zirconium-containing precursor is pulsed into reaction chamber 220. In an embodiment, ZrCl₄ is used as a precursor. In another embodiment, ZrI₄ is used as a precursor. The ZrCl₄ precursor is pulsed into reaction chamber 220 through the gas-distribution fixture 240 on substrate 210. Mass-flow controller 256 regulates the flow of the ZrCl₄ from gas source 251. In an embodiment, the substrate temperature is maintained at about 180° C. In another embodiment, the substrate temperature is maintained between about 300° C. and about 500° C. The ZrCl₄ reacts with the surface of the substrate 210 in the desired region defined by the unmasked areas of the substrate 210.

At block 415, a first purging gas is pulsed into reaction chamber 220. In an embodiment, nitrogen with a purity of about 99.999% is used as a purging gas. Mass-flow controller 266 regulates the nitrogen flow from the purging gas source 261 into the gas conduit 270. Using the pure nitrogen purge avoids overlap of the precursor pulses and possible gas phase reactions.

A first oxygen-containing precursor is pulsed onto substrate 210, at block 420. In an embodiment, water vapor (H₂O) is used as a precursor. In another embodiment, H₂O₂ is used as a precursor. In another embodiment, an H₂O—H₂O₂ mixture is used as a precursor. The water vapor precursor is pulsed into reaction chamber 220 through the gas-distribution fixture 240 on substrate 210. Mass-flow controller 257 regulates the flow of the water vapor from gas source 252. In an embodiment, the substrate temperature is maintained at about 180° C. In another embodiment, the substrate temperature is maintained between about 300° C. and about 500° C. The water vapor reacts with at the surface of substrate 210 in the desired region defined by the unmasked areas of the substrate 210.

After pulsing the first oxygen-containing precursor, a second purging gas is pulsed, at block, 425. In an embodiment, nitrogen is used as the second purging gas. Excess precursor gas, and reaction by-products are removed from the system by the purge gas in conjunction with the exhausting of reaction chamber 220 using vacuum pump 282 through mass-flow controller 287, and exhausting of the gas conduit 270 by the vacuum pump 281 through mass-flow controller 286.

In an embodiment using a ZrCl₄/H₂O vapor sequence, the substrate is held between about 300° C. and about 500° C. by the heating element 230. The ZrCl₄ pulse time ranges from about 0.2 sec to above 1.0 sec. After the ZrCL₄ pulse, the zirconium/water vapor sequence continues with a purge pulse followed by a H₂O pulse followed by a purge pulse. In an embodiment, the H₂O vapor pulse time may range from about 0.2 sec to above 1.0 sec, and the ZrCl₄ and the H₂O vapor purging pulse times are each range from about 0.2 sec to about 4.0 sec.

In an embodiment using a ZrI₄/H₂O—H₂O₂ vapor sequence, the substrate is held between about 230° C. and about 500° C. by the heating element 230 with reaction chamber 220 held at about 250 Pa. In an embodiment, the ZrI₄ pulse time is about 2.0 sec. After the ZrI₄ pulse, the ZrI₄/H₂O—H₂O₂ vapor sequence continues with a purge pulse followed by an H₂O—H₂O₂ vapor pulse followed by a purge pulse. In an embodiment, the H₂O—H₂O₂ vapor pulse time is about 2.0 sec, and the ZrI₄ and the H₂O—H₂O₂ vapor purging pulse times are each at about 2.0 sec.

After pulsing the second purging gas, an aluminum-containing precursor is pulsed into reaction chamber 220, at block 430. In an embodiment, the aluminum-containing precursor is trimethylaluminum (TMA), Al(CH₃)₃. In another embodiment, the aluminum-containing precursor is DMEAA, an adduct of alane (AlH₃) and dimethylehtylamine {N(CH₃)₂(C₂H₅)}. The trimethylaluminum precursor is pulsed into reaction chamber 220 through the gas-distribution fixture 240 on substrate 210. Mass-flow controller 258 regulates the flow of the trimethylaluminum from gas source 253. In an embodiment, the substrate temperature is maintained between about 300° C. and about 500° C. The trimethylaluminum aggressively reacts at the current surface of substrate 210.

At block 435, a third purging gas is introduced into the system. Nitrogen gas may also be used as a purging and carrier gas. The nitrogen flow is controlled by mass-flow controller 267 from the purging gas source 262 into the gas conduit 270 and subsequently into reaction chamber 220. In another embodiment, argon gas may be used as the purging gas.

A second oxygen-containing precursor is pulsed on substrate 210, at block 440. In an embodiment, water vapor (H₂O) is used as a precursor. In another embodiment, H₂O₂ is used as a precursor. In another embodiment, an H₂O—H₂O₂ mixture is used as a precursor. The water vapor precursor is pulsed into reaction chamber 220 through the gas-distribution fixture 240 on substrate 210. Mass-flow controller 259 regulates the flow of the water vapor from gas source 254. The water vapor reacts aggressively at the current surface of substrate 210.

After pulsing the second oxygen-containing precursor, a fourth purging gas is pulsed, at block, 445. In an embodiment, nitrogen is used as the second purging gas. Excess precursor gas, and reaction by-products are removed from the system by the purge gas in conjunction with the exhausting of reaction chamber 220 using vacuum pump 282 through mass-flow controller 287, and exhausting of the gas conduit 270 by the vacuum pump 281 through mass-flow controller 286. With the conclusion of the fourth purging gas pulse, a cycle forming atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) is completed.

During the TMA/water vapor sequence, the substrate is held between about 350° C. and about 450° C. by the heating element 230. The process pressure is maintained at about 230 mTorr during the pulsing of the precursor gases and at about 200 mTorr for the purging gases. Pulse times for the TMA and the water vapor were about 1 sec for both precursors, with purging pulse times of about 15 s.

As an alternate aluminum sequence, a DMEAA/oxygen sequence can be employed rather than the TMA/water vapor sequence with the substrate held between about 100° C. and about 125° C. by the heating element 230. In an embodiment, the substrate is held at about 350° C. during the DMEAA/oxygen sequence. The process pressure during the DMEAA/oxygen sequence is maintained at about 30 mTorr.

At block 450, a determination is made as to whether a desired number of cycles has been performed, that is, whether the number of completed cycles is equal to a predetermined number. The predetermined number corresponds to a predetermined thickness for the ALD ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer. If the number of completed cycles is less than the predetermined number, the zirconium-containing precursor is pulsed into reaction chamber 220, at block 410, and the process continues. If the total number of cycles to form the desired thickness has been completed, the dielectric layer containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y) may be annealed. To avoid the diffusion of oxygen during annealing to the semiconductor substrate surface, any annealing may be performed in an oxygen-free environment for short periods of time. An embodiment of an annealing environment may include a nitrogen atmosphere. In addition to limiting or avoiding oxygen diffusion to the semiconductor substrate, the relatively low temperatures employed by atomic layer deposition of a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer allows for the formation of an amorphous ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer.

The thickness of a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layer is determined by a fixed growth rate for the pulsing periods and precursors used, set at a value such as N nm/cycle. For a desired ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layer thickness, t, in an application such as forming a gate dielectric of a MOS transistor, the ALD process is repeated for t/N total cycles. Once the t/N cycles have completed, no further ALD processing for ZrAl_(x)O_(y) is performed. In an embodiment, ALD processing provides for the engineering of a dielectric layer containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y) having a dielectric constant in the range from about 9 to about 25.

At block 455, after forming the ZrAl_(x)O_(y), processing the device having the dielectric layer containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y) is completed. In an embodiment, completing the device includes completing the formation of a transistor. In an embodiment, completing the device includes completing the formation of a capacitor. Alternately, completing the process includes completing the construction of a memory device having an array with access transistors formed with gate dielectrics containing atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y). In an embodiment, completing the process includes the formation of an electronic system including an information handling device that uses electronic devices with transistors formed with dielectric layers containing atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y). Typically, information handling devices such as computers include many memory devices, having many access transistors.

Upon reading and comprehending this disclosure, it can be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the elements of a method for forming an atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layer in the embodiment of FIG. 4 may be performed under various other environmental conditions, including various pressures and temperatures, and pulse periods depending on the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layer to be formed for a given application and the system used to fabricate the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layer. Determination of the environmental conditions, precursors used, purging gases employed, and pulse periods for the precursors and purging gases may be made without undue experimentation.

Atomic layer deposition of a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer may be processed in an atomic layer deposition system such as ALD system 200 under computer control to perform various embodiments, and operated under computer-executable instructions to perform these embodiments. In an embodiment, a computerized method and the computer-executable instructions for a method for forming a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer by atomic layer deposition includes pulsing a precursor containing zirconium onto a substrate, pulsing a first precursor containing oxygen, pulsing a precursor containing aluminum, and pulsing a second precursor containing oxygen. In an embodiment, pulsing the precursor containing zirconium and pulsing the first precursor containing oxygen includes pulsing a precursor containing both zirconium and oxygen in one pulsing process. In an embodiment, pulsing the precursor containing aluminum and pulsing the second precursor containing oxygen includes pulsing a precursor containing both aluminum and oxygen in one pulsing process.

In an embodiment, a computerized method and the computer-executable instructions for a method for forming a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer include forming the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer by atomic layer deposition, where each precursor is pulsed into a reaction chamber for a predetermined period. The predetermined period is individually controlled for each precursor pulsed into the reaction chamber. Further, the substrate may be maintained at a selected temperature for each pulsing of a precursor, where the selected temperature is set independently for pulsing each precursor. In addition, each pulsing of a precursor is followed by purging the reaction chamber with a purging gas.

In an embodiment, a computerized method and the computer-executable instructions for a method for forming a dielectric layer include regulating the deposition of zirconium, aluminum, and oxygen to form a dielectric layer having a dielectric constant in the range from about 9 to about 25.

In an embodiment, a computerized method and the computer-executable instructions for a method for forming a dielectric layer containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y) include controlling an environment of a reaction chamber. Additionally, the computerized method controls the pulsing of purging gases, one for each precursor gas and pulsing each purging gas after pulsing the associated precursor gas. Using a computer to control parameters for growing the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer provides for processing the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer over a wide range of parameters allowing for the determination of an optimum parameter set for the ALD system used. The computer-executable instructions may be provided in any computer-readable medium. Such computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, CD-ROMS, flash ROMS, nonvolatile ROM, and RAM.

An embodiment of this method may be realized using ALD system 200 of FIG. 2A, where the controls for the individual elements of ALD system 200 are coupled to a computer, not shown in FIG. 2A. The computer provides control of the operation for processing a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer by regulating the flow of precursor gases into reaction chamber 220. The computer controls the flow rate of precursor gases and the pulsing periods for these gases by controlling mass-flow controllers 256-259. Additionally, the computer controls the temperature of gas sources 251-254. Further, the pulse period and flow of purging gases from purging gas sources 261, 262 is regulated through computer control of mass-flow controllers 266, 267, respectively.

The computer also regulates the environment of reactor chamber 220 in which a dielectric layer is being formed on substrate 210. The computer regulates the pressure in reaction chamber 220 within a predetermined pressure range by controlling vacuum pumps 281, 282 through mass-flow controllers 286, 287, respectively. The computer also regulates the temperature range for substrate 210 within a predetermined range by controlling heater 230.

For convenience, the individual control lines to elements of ALD 200, as well as a computer, are not shown in FIG. 2A. The above description of the computer control in conjunction with FIG. 2A provides information for those skilled in the art to practice embodiments for forming a dielectric layer containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y) using a computerized method as described herein.

The embodiments described herein provide a process for growing a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer having a wide range of useful equivalent oxide thickness, t_(eq), associated with a dielectric constant in the range from about 9 to about 25. The t_(eq) range in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are shown in the following: Physical Physical Physical Physical Thickness Thickness Thickness Thickness t = 1.0 nm t = 2.0 nm t = 5.0 nm t = 10.0 nm (10 Å) (20 Å) (50 Å) (100 Å) κ t_(eq) (Å) t_(eq) (Å) t_(eq) (Å) t_(eq) (Å)  9 4.33 8.67 21.67 43.33 12 3.25 6.50 16.25 32.50 15 2.60 5.20 13.00 26.00 20 1.95 3.90 9.75 19.50 25 1.56 3.12 7.80 15.60

The relatively large dielectric constant for ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layers allows for the engineering of dielectric layers having a physical thickness in the 10 nm (100 Å) range, while achieving a t_(eq) of less than 5 nm (50 Å). From above, it is apparent that a layer containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y) may be attained with a t_(eq) ranging from about 1.5 Å to about 9 Å. Further, an atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layer may provide a t_(eq) significantly less than 2 or 3 Å, even less than 1.5 Å.

Attainment of a t_(eq) in the thickness range of one to a several monolayers is associated with an interfacial layer between a semiconductor substrate surface and the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer that is exceptionally small or composed of a material having a dielectric constant approaching that of the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) value. To obtain the smallest possible t_(eq), the formation of a SiO₂ interfacial layer should be avoided. However, having a silicon oxide layer or a silicate layer between the substrate and the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layer can aid in the reduction of leakage current. In an embodiment, an interfacial layer of silicon oxide or a silicate is limited to about 5 angstroms. In an embodiment, other materials can be used to form an interfacial layer between the substrate and the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layer. Such an interfacial layer aids in providing a low density of electronic states at the substrate interface, in reducing leakage current, and in providing a diffusion barrier depending on the material forming the interfacial layer. In an embodiment, the interfacial layer is limited to less than about 1 nm (10 Å). However, an interfacial layer of material having a dielectric constant less than that of the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layer formed reduces the overall dielectric constant of the effective dielectric layer containing the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layer and the interfacial layer.

Dielectric layers containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y) using embodiments of the present subject matter may be engineered with various structures and compositions including an amorphous structure with an approximate average composition Zr₄AlO₉, a uniform distribution of the elements of the oxide through the film with an abrupt interface with a silicon substrate, a dielectric material whose properties are similar to a double oxide, Zr—O and Al—O, without ZrO₂—Al₂O₃ present in the dielectric layer, and/or a thin silicon oxide or a silicate interface layer with a thickness significantly less than 1 nm (10 Å).

Any micro-roughness associated with thin layers of ZrAl_(x)O_(y) may be due to partial monolayer formation of the dielectric layer across the substrate surface. With some areas of the dielectric layer forming a monolayer in two or three cycles, while another area or region of the layer forms a monolayer in one or two cycles, the surface of the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer may exhibit some micro-roughness. As can be understood by those skilled in the art, particular growth rates and processing conditions for providing a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer with reduced or substantially eliminated micro-roughness may be determined during normal initial testing of the ALD system for processing a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer for a given application without undue experimentation.

Further, ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layers formed by atomic layer deposition may provide not only ultra thin t_(eq) layers, but also layers with relatively low leakage current. In addition to using ALD to provide precisely engineered layer thicknesses with engineered dielectric constants, good breakdown electric field properties, and relatively low leakage currents, ALD processing provides for dielectric layers that provide conformal layering on selected substrate surfaces.

Embodiments of processes described above for performing atomic layer deposition of ZrAl_(x)O_(y) are used to precisely control the thickness of the dielectric layer formed, where, in addition to providing an ultra thin t_(eq), the atomic layer deposition process provides for relatively smooth surfaces and limited interfacial layer formation. Additionally, these embodiments for ALD processing of ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layers may be implemented to form transistors, capacitors, memory devices, and other electronic systems including electro-optic devices, microwave devices, and information handling devices. With careful preparation and engineering of the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layer, limiting the size of interfacial regions, a t_(eq) less than about 10 Å for these devices is anticipated.

A transistor 100 as depicted in FIG. 1 may be constructed by forming a source region 120 and a drain region 130 in a silicon based substrate 110 where source and drain regions 120, 130 are separated by a body region 132. Body region 132 defines a channel having a channel length 134. A dielectric layer is disposed on substrate 110 formed as a layer containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y) by atomic layer deposition. The resulting ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer forms gate dielectric 140.

A gate 150 is formed over gate dielectric 140. Typically, forming gate 150 may include forming a polysilicon layer, though a metal gate may be formed in an alternative process. An interfacial layer 133 formed between gate dielectric 140 and body region 132 is limited to a thickness less than 1 nm (10 Å). In an embodiment, interfacial layer 133 is eliminated or reduced to a thickness that can not be measured or determined to have a significant effect on the dielectric constant of the region between gate 150 and body region 132. Forming the substrate, the source and drain regions, and the gate is performed using standard processes known to those skilled in the art. Additionally, the sequencing of the various elements of the process for forming a transistor is conducted with standard fabrication processes, also as known to those skilled in the art.

The method for forming an atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) in various embodiments may be applied to other transistor structures having dielectric layers. FIG. 5A shows an embodiment of a configuration of a transistor 500 having an atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer. Transistor 500 includes a silicon based substrate 510 with a source 520 and a drain 530 separated by a body region 532. Body region 532 between source 520 and drain 530 defines a channel region having a channel length 534. Located above body region 532 is a stack 555 including a gate dielectric 540, a floating gate 552, a floating gate dielectric 542, and a control gate 550. Gate dielectric 540 may be formed containing atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) described above with the remaining elements of the transistor 500 formed using processes known to those skilled in the art. Alternately, both gate dielectric 540 and floating gate dielectric 542 may be formed as dielectric layers containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y) in various embodiments as described herein. An interfacial layer 533 formed between gate dielectric 540 and body region 532 is limited to a thickness less than 1 nm (10 Å). In an embodiment, interfacial layer 533 is eliminated or reduced to a thickness that can not be measured or determined to have a significant effect on the dielectric constant of the region between floating gate 552 and body region 532. In an embodiment with floating gate dielectric 542 formed containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y), an interfacial layer between floating gate dielectric 542 and floating gate 552 is limited to less than 1 nm (10 Å) or effectively eliminated.

The embodiments of methods for forming ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layers may also be applied to forming capacitors in various integrated circuits, memory devices, and electronic systems. In an embodiment for forming a capacitor 560 illustrated in FIG. 5B, a method includes forming a first conductive layer 570, forming a dielectric layer 580 containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y) on first conductive layer 570 by atomic layer deposition, and forming a second conductive layer 590 on dielectric layer 580. An interfacial layer 575 formed between dielectric layer 580 and first conductive layer 570 is limited to a thickness less than 1 nm (10 Å). In an embodiment, interfacial layer 575 is eliminated or reduced to a thickness that can not be measured or determined to have a significant effect on the dielectric constant of the region between first conductive layer 570 and second conductive layer 590. ALD formation of the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer allows the dielectric layer to be engineered within a predetermined composition providing a desired dielectric constant.

Transistors, capacitors, and other devices having ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layers formed by atomic layer deposition using methods described herein may be implemented into memory devices and electronic systems including information handling devices. Such information devices may include wireless systems, telecommunication systems, and computers. An embodiment of a computer having a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer formed by atomic layer deposition using methods described herein is shown in FIGS. 6-8 and described below. While specific types of memory devices and computing devices are shown below, it will be recognized by one skilled in the art that several types of memory devices and electronic systems including information handling devices utilize the present subject matter.

A personal computer 600, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, includes a monitor 601, keyboard input 602, and a central processing unit 604. Central processor unit 604 typically includes microprocessor 706, memory bus circuit 708 having a plurality of memory slots 712(a-n), and other peripheral circuitry 710. Peripheral circuitry 710 permits various peripheral devices 724 to interface processor-memory bus 720 over input/output (I/O) bus 722. The personal computer shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 also includes at least one transistor having a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer formed by atomic layer deposition using methods described herein according to an embodiment of the present subject matter.

Microprocessor 706 produces control and address signals to control the exchange of data between memory bus circuit 708 and microprocessor 706 and between memory bus circuit 708 and peripheral circuitry 710. This exchange of data is accomplished over high speed memory bus 720 and over high speed I/O bus 722.

Coupled to memory bus 720 are pluralities of memory slots 712(a-n), which receive memory devices well known to those skilled in the art. For example, single in-line memory modules (SIMMs) and dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs) may be used in the implementation of an embodiment of the present subject matter.

These memory devices may be produced in a variety of designs that provide different methods of reading from and writing to the dynamic memory cells of memory slots 712. One such method is the page mode operation. Page mode operations in a DRAM are defined by the method of accessing a row of a memory cell arrays and randomly accessing different columns of the array. Data stored at the row and column intersection may be read and output while that column is accessed. Page mode DRAMs use access steps, which limit the communication speed of memory circuit 708.

An alternate type of device is the extended data output (EDO) memory, which allows data stored at a memory array address to be available as output after the addressed column has been closed. This memory may increase some communication speeds by allowing shorter access signals without reducing the time in which memory output data is available on memory bus 720. Other alternative types of devices include SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, SLDRAM and Direct RDRAM as well as others such as SRAM or Flash memories.

FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic view of an embodiment of a DRAM memory device 800 having an atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer formed according to an embodiment described herein. Illustrative DRAM memory device 800 is compatible with memory slots 712(a-n). The description of DRAM memory device 800 has been simplified for purposes of illustrating a DRAM memory device and is not intended to be a complete description of all the features of a DRAM. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of memory devices may be used in the implementation of embodiments of the present subject matter. The embodiment of a DRAM memory device shown in FIG. 8 includes at least one transistor having a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer formed by atomic layer deposition using methods described herein according to the teachings of the present subject matter.

Control, address and data information provided over memory bus 720 is further represented by individual inputs to DRAM 800, as shown in FIG. 8. These individual representations are illustrated by data lines 802, address lines 804 and various discrete lines directed to control logic 806.

As is well known in the art, DRAM 800 includes memory array 810, which in turn comprises rows and columns of addressable memory cells. Each memory cell in a row is coupled to a common word line. The word line is coupled to gates of individual transistors, where at least one transistor has a gate coupled to a gate dielectric containing ZrAl_(x)O_(y) formed by atomic layer deposition in accordance with the method and structure previously described above. Additionally, each memory cell in a column is coupled to a common bit line. Each cell in memory array 810 may include a storage capacitor and an access transistor as is conventional in the art.

DRAM 800 interfaces with, for example, microprocessor 706 through address lines 804 and data lines 802. Alternatively, DRAM 800 may interface with a DRAM controller, a micro-controller, a chip set or other electronic system. Microprocessor 706 also provides a number of control signals to DRAM 800, including but not limited to, row and column address strobe signals RAS and CAS, write enable signal WE, an output enable signal OE and other conventional control signals.

Row address buffer 812 and row decoder 814 receive and decode row addresses from row address signals provided on address lines 804 by microprocessor 706. Each unique row address corresponds to a row of cells in memory array 810. Row decoder 814 may include a word line driver, an address decoder tree, and circuitry which translates a given row address received from row address buffers 812 and selectively activates the appropriate word line of memory array 810 via the word line drivers.

Column address buffer 816 and column decoder 818 receive and decode column address signals provided on address lines 804. Column decoder 818 also determines when a column is defective and the address of a replacement column. Column decoder 818 is coupled to sense amplifiers 820. Sense amplifiers 820 are coupled to complementary pairs of bit lines of memory array 810.

Sense amplifiers 820 are coupled to data-in buffer 822 and data-out buffer 824. Data-in buffers 822 and data-out buffers 824 are coupled to data lines 802. During a write operation, data lines 802 provide data to data-in buffer 822. Sense amplifier 820 receives data from data-in buffer 822 and stores the data in memory array 810 as a charge on a capacitor of a cell at an address specified on address lines 804.

During a read operation, DRAM 800 transfers data to microprocessor 706 from memory array 810. Complementary bit lines for the accessed cell are equilibrated during a precharge operation to a reference voltage provided by an equilibration circuit and a reference voltage supply. The charge stored in the accessed cell is then shared with the associated bit lines. A sense amplifier of sense amplifiers 820 detects and amplifies a difference in voltage between the complementary bit lines. The sense amplifier passes the amplified voltage to data-out buffer 824.

Control logic 806 is used to control the many available functions of DRAM 800. In addition, various control circuits and signals not detailed herein initiate and synchronize DRAM 800 operation as known to those skilled in the art. As stated above, the description of DRAM 800 has been simplified for purposes of illustrating an embodiment of the present subject matter and is not intended to be a complete description of all the features of a DRAM. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of memory devices, including but not limited to, SDRAMs, SLDRAMs, RDRAMs and other DRAMs and SRAMs, VRAMs and EEPROMs, may be used in the implementation of embodiments of the present subject matter. The DRAM implementation described herein is illustrative only and not intended to be exclusive or limiting.

A ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer, formed by atomic layer deposition using methods described herein, provides a reliable dielectric layer having an equivalent oxide thickness thinner than attainable using SiO₂. Dielectric layers containing atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) formed using the methods described herein are thermodynamically stable such that the dielectric layers formed will have minimal reactions with a silicon substrate or other structures during processing.

Forming ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layers by atomic layer deposition in relatively low processing temperatures allows for ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layers that are amorphous and conformally layered on a substrate surface. Further, the ALD formation of a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer provides for enhanced dielectric and electrical properties relative to those attained with an amorphous SiO_(x) layer. Additionally, embodiments for the ALD processing of ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layers provide for the formation of interfacial layers between a substrate and a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) layer that is limited to less than about 1 nm (Å), where the interfacial layer aids in providing a low density of electronic states at the substrate interface, in reducing leakage current, and in providing a diffusion barrier depending on the material forming the interfacial layer. These properties of ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layers allow for application as dielectric layers in numerous devices and systems.

Capacitors, transistors, electro-optic devices, higher level ICs or devices, and electronic systems are constructed utilizing various embodiments of the process for forming a ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer having an ultra thin equivalent oxide thickness, t_(eq). Gate dielectric layers or layers containing atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) are formed having a dielectric constant substantially higher than that of silicon oxide, where the ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layers are capable of a t_(eq) thinner than 10 Å, thinner than the expected limit for SiO₂ gate dielectrics. The thinner t_(eq) of these dielectric layers allows for a higher capacitance than SiO₂ gate dielectrics, which provides further effective scaling for microelectronic devices and systems. At the same time, the physical thickness of the atomic layer deposited ZrAl_(x)O_(y) dielectric layer is much larger than the SiO₂ thickness associated with the t_(eq) limit of SiO₂. Forming the larger thickness aids in the manufacturing process for gate dielectrics and other dielectric layers.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement that is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the present subject matter. It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the present subject matter includes any other applications in which the above structures and fabrication methods are used. The scope of the present subject matter should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. 

1. A method comprising: forming a layer of zirconium aluminum oxide by atomic layer deposition in a reaction chamber such that, during a cycle of the atomic layer deposition, a precursor containing zirconium and a precursor containing aluminum are used independent of each other with application of the precursor containing zirconium performed without an aluminum composition in gaseous form being in the reaction chamber and with application of the precursor containing aluminum performed without a zirconium composition in gaseous form being in the reaction chamber.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes conditioning the reaction chamber following each application of the precursors in the atomic layer deposition cycle to remove excess precursors and by-products.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein conditioning includes purging the reaction chamber with a purging gas, evacuating the reaction chamber, or both evacuating the reaction chamber and purging the reaction chamber with the purging gas.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the precursor containing zirconium includes pulsing a precursor containing both zirconium and oxygen.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the precursor containing aluminum includes pulsing a precursor containing both aluminum and oxygen.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes preparing a substrate having a chemical oxide-terminated silicon surface prior to forming the zirconium aluminum oxide on the substrate.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes preparing a substrate with a final HF rinse prior to forming the zirconium aluminum oxide on the substrate.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes limiting an interfacial layer of silicon oxide or a silicate between a substrate and the layer of zirconium aluminum oxide to less than about 1 nm.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein applying a precursor containing zirconium includes pulsing ZrCl₄.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein applying a precursor containing zirconium includes ZrI₄.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein applying a precursor containing aluminum includes pulsing trimethylaluminum.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein applying a precursor containing aluminum includes pulsing DMEAA.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes forming the layer of zirconium aluminum oxide as an amorphous structure with substantially an average composition Zr₄AlO₉.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes forming the layer of zirconium aluminum oxide as a layer in a capacitor dielectric of a capacitor.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the layer of zirconium aluminum oxide includes forming the capacitor dielectric substantially as the layer of zirconium aluminum oxide.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes forming the layer of zirconium aluminum oxide as a part of a dielectric layer formed on a channel region of a transistor below a gate of the transistor.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the method includes forming the dielectric layer contacting both the channel region and a control gate of the transistor.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the method includes forming the dielectric layer contacting both a floating gate and a control gate of the transistor.
 19. A method of forming a memory comprising: forming an array of memory cells; forming conductive lines to access the array; and forming a dielectric layer disposed in a memory cell of the array, the dielectric layer containing a layer of zirconium aluminum oxide, including: forming the layer of zirconium aluminum oxide by atomic layer deposition in a reaction chamber such that, during a cycle of the atomic layer deposition, a precursor containing zirconium and a precursor containing aluminum are used independent of each other with application of the precursor containing zirconium performed without an aluminum composition in gaseous form being in the reaction chamber and with application of the precursor containing aluminum performed without a zirconium composition in gaseous form being in the reaction chamber.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the method includes forming the dielectric layer as a capacitor dielectric of a storage capacitor disposed in the memory cell.
 21. The method of claim 19, wherein the method includes forming the dielectric layer as a dielectric formed on a channel region of a transistor and formed below a gate of the transistor in the memory cell.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the method includes forming the dielectric layer contacting both the channel region and a control gate of the transistor.
 23. The method of claim 21, wherein the method includes forming the dielectric layer contacting both a floating gate and a control gate of the transistor.
 24. The method of claim 19, wherein applying a precursor containing zirconium and applying a precursor containing aluminum includes pulsing ZrCl₄ and pulsing trimethylaluminum.
 25. The method of claim 19, wherein applying a precursor containing zirconium and applying a precursor containing aluminum includes pulsing ZrCl₄ and pulsing DMEAA.
 26. The method of claim 19, wherein applying a precursor containing zirconium includes pulsing ZrI₄.
 27. A method of forming an electronic system comprising: coupling a memory to a processor, the memory having an array of memory cells, each memory cell including a dielectric layer disposed in the memory cell, the dielectric layer containing a layer of zirconium aluminum oxide, the zirconium aluminum oxide formed by atomic layer deposition in a reaction chamber such that, during a cycle of the atomic layer deposition, a precursor containing zirconium and a precursor containing aluminum are used independent of each other with application of the precursor containing zirconium performed without an aluminum composition in gaseous form being in the reaction chamber and with application of the precursor containing aluminum performed without a zirconium composition in gaseous form being in the reaction chamber.
 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the method includes limiting an interfacial layer of silicon oxide or a silicate between a substrate and the dielectric layer to less than about 1 nm.
 29. The method of claim 27, wherein the method includes forming an amorphous structure with substantially an average composition Zr₄AlO₉.
 30. The method of claim 27, wherein the method including forming an information handling system.
 31. The method of claim 27, wherein the method including forming a wireless system.
 32. The method of claim 27, wherein the method including forming atelecommunication system. 